Transfiguration

Where I live, I can see nearby mountains and foothills, covered with a skin of snow or foliage, depending on the season.
Jesus grew up close to a small mountain (is that an oxymoron?) near Nazareth. It is the traditional spot for his transfiguration. When Jesus went up there (Matthew 17:1-8) and Moses and Elijah appeared with him, he was transfigured, he “shone like the sun” with his heavenly glory.
Peter, one of the disciples along with James and John, whom Jesus had brought up there, wanted to build something to commemorate the event.
But, when God spoke from heaven, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” they were “overcome by fear”. Jesus said, “Get up and do not be afraid”, and he led them down the mountain.
They had seen a vision beyond time. The event took place in the present. Moses and Elijah represented the past, life under the law and the prophets. Jesus shone in his future heavenly glory as the one who could, and would, save the world by his sacrificial suffering and death. In the end, Jesus stood alone.
I’ve been to that actual “mountain” top in Israel. It’s just a really big hill, but it stands out on the flat plain all around it. You can see a lot of that surrounding plain from there, though.
And, I’ve had mountain-top experiences. The stand out from ordinary life because they have allowed me to see the bigger picture of things.
Like Jesus showed his disciples, we can’t live in those mountain top experiences. At least, not yet. And, we can’t really commemorate those events. They are, by definition, singular experiences.
That is the way it should be, I think.
I look at the mountains near me and I know why. Nothing grows at the top of the really tall ones. Growth takes place in the valleys, where the fertile soil is.
Mountain top experiences give us a vision for what is now, and what is to be, in the Kingdom of God. Change, transformation and growth happens now, down in the valleys of life, where God makes things grow.